Audio lamp

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, this invention discloses a device that is a lamp on the one hand, and also a speaker on the other, comprising a light-emitting element, a surface that acts as a sound-emitting element, and a base socket that can fit to an ordinary household lamp socket. The surface can be translucent and act as a lamp cover at the same time. There is also an electronic assembly in the lamp that controls both the light-emitting and sound-emitting elements, as well as communicates with an external host or other devices. In another embodiment, the lamp cover can also couple with an acoustic-wave transducer unit so that the audio lamp device becomes a light and a microphone. Various sensors can also be equipped within the audio lamp, and the results can be sent to the external host through the electronic assembly.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to an electronic illumination device, and inparticular a combination of a light-emitting device and a sound-emittingdevice.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Lamp and speaker are the most common devices for emitting light andsound respectively. However, few have tried to combine the two elementstogether. U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,952 is one of the first attempts tocombine the two together. It disclosed a light and speaker combinationthat is used outdoors. The light is supported from the ground, and theaudio signal must be wired from an external source.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,057 disclosed a speaker light unit connected toconventional electrical light socket. However, an incandescent lightbulb is used in the unit, and such a light bulb is inefficient andproduces a lot of heat. It also uses a conventional speaker, which takesup a lot of space, and also forces the speaker to be mounted behind thelight bulb for light propagation, making sound propagation impeded bythe other structures in the unit, and resulting in less-than-idealquality.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 a is a side view of an audio lamp according to an embodiment.

FIG. 1 b is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 2 a is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A′ of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 2 b is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B′ of FIG. 1 b.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the audiolamp with vibration insulation elements.

FIG. 4 is an exploded assembly of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the outlook of the audio lamp when installed intoa CAN light socket.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of theaudio lamp using an opaque lamp cover.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment having a chamberformed at the rear of a lamp cover.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment utilizing areflective surface inside the audio lamp.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view along the line C-C′ of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the electrical assembly according to anembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the electrical connection and signalingpathways of an audio lamp and its accessories according to anembodiment.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of an audio lamp system with master andslaves according to an embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram of an audio lamp system with all slavesaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an embodiment of a wall switch of an audio lamp.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, “couple” or “connect” refers to electronic and/orelectrical coupling or connection either directly or indirectly via oneor more electrical or electronic means unless otherwise stated. Theterms “attached” or “mounted” also refer to either direct or indirectmechanical connection.

In one embodiment, this invention discloses a device that is a lamp onthe one hand, and also a speaker on the other. This audio lamp comprisesa light-emitting element, a surface that acts as a sound-emittingelement, and a base socket. The surface can be translucent and act as alamp cover at the same time. The base socket may be selected accordingto user need, such as one that fits into an ordinary household lampsocket. There is also an electronic assembly inside the lamp thatcontrols both the light-emitting and sound-emitting elements, as well ascommunicates with an external host or other devices.

In an alternative embodiment, the lamp cover is coupled with anacoustic-wave transducer unit so that the audio lamp device becomes alight and a microphone. The audio signal picked up by the microphone canthen be sent to the external host or other devices via the electronicassembly.

In yet another embodiment, the audio lamp device is also equipped withvarious sensors. The signals detected by the sensors can also be sent tothe external host or other devices via the electronic assembly. Thesensors include, but not limited to, smoke-detecting sensor, humanlocation detection sensor, intrusion-detection sensor, etc.

There can be different combination of the features and capabilities ofthe audio lamp devices. Moreover, one or more of these devices can begrouped together into zones. Together with an external source and/orcontroller, the entire system as a whole can be programmed andconfigured to realize many useful applications. This will be explainedin more details in the following sections.

Referring to FIG. 1 a, a first embodiment of the present invention is anaudio lamp 11 that can be plugged or inserted into a light socket. Inthis embodiment, a screw thread contact 10 is used to screw onto thelight socket. A housing 12 is attached to the screw thread contact 10.Ventilation holes 32 are created in the housing for ventilation. Anelectronic assembly (not shown in figure) is provided inside the toppart of the housing 12. The electronic assembly may include a powersupply, one or more wireless transmitter and receiver (hereafter referas transceiver), a micro-controller with memory, environmental sensors,a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, and any combination thereof. Asurface ring 26 (not shown in figure) can be optionally attached to thehousing 12 for decorative purpose.

FIG. 1 b shows the ‘top-down’ view of the audio lamp when viewing on topof the screw thread contact downward. The internal components of oneembodiment of the audio lamp 11 are further shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b.FIG. 2 a is the bottom view cut along the line labeled [A-A′] while FIG.2 b is the side view with part of the housing 12 cut out along the linelabeled [B-B′] as shown in FIG. 1 b so that the internal component canbe visualized.

Refer now to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, a printed circuit board 34 is attachedto the housing 12 by support poles 35, and electrically coupled to theelectronic assembly through an electrical harness 28. Light emittingdiodes (LED) 36 are installed on the printed circuit board 34, facingdownwards. Ventilation holes 32 are provided on the printed circuitboard 34 so that heat generated from the LEDs and other electroniccomponents can be diffused upward. A lamp cover 22 is provided below theprinted circuit board 34 attached to the housing 12. An electro-acoustictransducer, hereafter known as the exciter 38 is physically coupled tothe lamp cover 22, and electronically coupled to the electronic assemblythrough an extension of the electrical harness 28. FIG. 2 b also showsan antenna 30 that is coupled to the electronic assembly

In one mode of operation, the lighting aspect of the audio lamp can workas follows. The LEDs 36 emit light when it receives electrical powerfrom the electronic assembly through the electrical harness 28. Thelight passes through the lamp cover 22 into the environment. Theventilation holes 32 allow air to flow through, so that hot airgenerated by the heating up of the LEDs 36 and other electroniccomponents such as the printed circuit board 34 and the electronicassembly may flow upwards and through ventilation holes 32 to escapefrom the audio lamp 11.

As for the audio aspect of this device, the lamp cover 22, apart fromthe usual function of allowing light to pass through and protecting thelight source, also acts as a sound emitting element in this invention.As an illustration, this can be achieved using the distributed modeloudspeaker technology. Digital audio data is received at the antenna 30from an external source or other devices and sent to the electronicassembly. The latter produces electrical power and sends throughelectrical harness 28 to drive the exciter 38. The exciter 38 thenactuates the lamp cover 22 to emit sound. Using the distributed modeloudspeaker technology as an example, the excitation induces multipleorganized bending resonances in the lamp cover 22, producing a complexvibration and in turn creating the acoustic waveform corresponding tothe audio signal. The lamp cover 22 can be made from a variety ofmaterials and in any shape and size. In this illustration, the lampcover 22 is made of rigid material.

Multiple audio lamps can be used to output different audio channels. Inone embodiment, a lamp outputs a left channel of a stereo output andanother lamp outputs the right channel. In another embodiment, fiveaudio lamps are used to output a left front channel, left rear channel,right front channel, right rear channel and a center channelrespectively, or any combination as desired by the user.

In another embodiment as described in FIG. 3, housing attachment rings14 are attached to the housing 12. Springs 16 are hooked to the housingattachment rings 14 at one end, while the other end is hooked toarmature attachment rings 18. The latter in turn are then attached to anarmature 20. The printed circuit board 34 is attached to the armature 20through the support poles 35. An insulating gasket 24 is attached to thesurface ring 26. The material of the gasket can be rubber, neoprene, orother insulating material. While FIG. 3 depicts this embodiment when allthe components are assembled together, FIG. 4 shows the individualcomponents in more details.

The purpose of the springs 16 and the insulating gasket 24 in FIGS. 3and 4 is to dampen the vibration that is induced to other parts of theaudio lamp from the exciter 38 and the lamp cover 22. This is neededbecause the vibration may generate rattling noise between the screwthread contact 10 and the light socket. It may also rattle other piecesof the assembly in the ceiling light fixture when rigidly connected asin FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the shape and dimension of the audio lamp 11,including the screw thread contact 10, is made compatible to an ordinarylamp. As such, it is then possible for even an ordinary person toreplace an ordinary ceiling lamp with this audio lamp, and the personcan immediately enjoy all its benefits. In another embodiment, the audiolamp 11 may replace a lamp in a CAN light or recessed light fixture 42in a building as shown in FIG. 5. In this setting, the power comes froma power line 60. In yet another embodiment, the entire CAN light orrecessed lamp assembly is a dedicated audio lamp assembly that includesan audio lamp 11 which may be installed at newly constructed orrenovated buildings.

In one embodiment as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lamp cover is dividedinto an opaque portion and a translucent portion. The opaque lamp cover23 is used as the distributed mode loudspeaker. A translucent cover 40is provided outside the opaque lamp cover 23. The printed circuit board34 is designed such that the LEDs 36 are directly above the translucentcover 40, facing downwards. Using an opaque lamp cover 23 as thedistributed mode loudspeaker can provide a better sound quality. Amaterial to use as the opaque lamp cover 23 is a urethane compositematerial. In another embodiment as shown in FIG. 8, a rear casing 45 isattached to the opaque lamp cover 23 at the back. Together with theopaque lamp cover 23, a sealed chamber 46 is formed. When the opaquelamp cover 23 vibrates, air inside the chamber 46 enhances the soundquality of the audio output. The exciter 38 is enclosed inside thechamber 46 so that the exciter 38 is still able to excite the opaquelamp cover 23 to produce acoustic waves.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, there are notranslucent elements in the whole lamp. The translucent cover 40 isremoved, leaving an opening 39, and the opaque lamp cover 23 is used.The LEDs 36 are facing upwards instead of downwards on the printedcircuit board 34 and the light is reflected downwards to the environmentthrough the opening 39 using a reflective surface 37. The reflectivesurface 37 is shaped to redirect the most light while still allowing airflow for heat diffusion. In another embodiment, similar arrangement ofthe rear casing 45 as shown in FIG. 8 is attached to the opaque lampcover 23. As mentioned previously, the chamber formed by the real casingand the opaque lamp cover 23 can improve sound quality.

In another embodiment, the lamp cover 22 of the audio lamp also acts asa microphone. When acoustic wave impinges on the lamp cover 22, itinduces minute vibration on its surface. A transducer can pick up suchvibration and convert it into electrical signal. As such, the electricalsignal carries the audio information of the acoustic wave. As anexemplification, the lamp cover is made of glass material, and a laserpointer is used to emit a laser beam onto the lamp cover 22. At thepoint of contact of the laser beam and the lamp cover 22, the acousticwave creates optical aberrations. This can then be picked up by aphotocell. Hence, the photocell converts the audio signal into anelectrical format. The latter can then be sent back to the electronicassembly via the electrical harness 28. In another embodiment, thesound-producing transducer assembly may be switched to operate assound-inducing microphone. For example, the electronic assembly mayconfigure the sound generating exciter 38 that excites the lamp cover 22to produce acoustic wave to become a microphone that picks up acousticwave. In other words, the audio lamp may switch between a ‘speakingmode’ and a ‘listening mode’. In yet another embodiment, a separatemicrophone is integrated into the audio lamp, such as at the surface ofthe surface trim ring 26.

Instead of using LEDs as light-emitting elements, another embodiment isto use a film or sheet like substrate light source. For example, thiscan be the organic LED (OLED) or a fluorescent material. The film lightsource can also be adhered to the lamp cover 22 or even be the lampcover itself. This allows a single surface to emit both light and soundsimultaneously.

In another embodiment, the audio lamp is also equipped with one or moresensors. Depending on the type of sensors, they can be placed at theprinted circuit board 34, near the housing 12, at the electronicassembly or on the surface trim ring 26. The sensor provides additionalcapability to the audio lamp and the sensor output is coupled to theelectronic assembly. As one example, the sensor is a smoke detector sothat the audio lamp can also serve as a fire-alarm detector. In anothercase, the sensor is an infrared sensor capable of detecting the presenceof a warm object such as a human being inside a room. In yet anothercase, the sensor is an identity tag (ID tag) reader that can read anearby ID tag. In this case, the audio lamp can detect the identity ofthe object that carries the ID tag. Not only can it be used to locate aperson who wears the tag, it can also be used in other applications. Forexample, if a pet carries an ID tag enters a room equipped with an IDtag sensing audio lamp, the audio lamp can be configured to emit asignal to scare the pet out of the room. The signal could be a highfrequency sound in the range of animal perception but not in humans'perception range. Alternatively, motion sensor, carbon dioxide detector,temperature sensor, humidity sensor, light sensor, video camera, or anycombination of the above can also be used.

A block diagram of the electronic assembly is shown in FIG. 11. In oneimplementation, the electronic assembly comprises a power supply 70 thatdraws electrical power from the lamp socket that this audio lamp isaffixed to. The power supply 70 provides the operational voltages andpower to other modules, as well as the LEDs. Central to the electronicassembly is a microcontroller 72. It may be optionally equipped withFlash memory and/or Random Access Memory (RAM) to assist its operation.The software program in this microcontroller 72 serves to monitor andcontrol other components/modules in the electronic assembly. There canbe one or more wireless modules 71 connected to the microcontroller 72.Wireless module 71 may implement any wireless communication technologyas its purpose is to exchange data with external sources or its peers.As an example, one of them may use radio frequency transmission tocommunicate with an external source or its peers; another one may useinfra-red technologies to exchange data with another audio lamp, and/oran external remote control unit. For audio output, the microcontroller72 routes the audio data received from one of the transceivers to adigital signal processing (DSP) chip 73, and then to the exciter 38 viaa first amplifier 76. Likewise, for audio input, the audio signal fromthe microphone transducer will first be amplified in a second amplifier77, then is routed to the microcontroller 72 via the DSP chip 73. Thesoftware in the microcontroller 72 may decide to send the audio signalto external host, or to its nearby peers through one of the wirelessmodules 71. Similarly, sensors 74 will also send their data to themicrocontroller 72. The latter will also control and regulates the powersent to the LEDs or similar light-emitting elements via the powerregulator module 75 so that the ON/OFF or dimming of the light can beunder software control.

FIG. 12 depicts an electrical wiring and signal diagram between theelectronic assembly and its accessories. Note that not all thecomponents in FIG. 11 are shown here. The audio lamp has a screw threadcontact 10 coupled to a power transformer 80. It supplies power to theelectronic assembly 82. The latter is then electrically coupled to theother elements through electrical harness 28 as shown in previousfigures. In this diagram, the connections to an infrared (IR)transceiver 84, a light source 83, a receiver 81 and aspeaker-microphone 85 are shown. Although not explicitly shown in thisfigure, various sensors can also be connected to the electronic assemblyin a similar fashion. In another embodiment, all components are mountedon a printed circuit board (PCB) and the electrical wiring and harnessesare not needed.

By combining audio and lighting into a single device and having aform-factor the same as a light bulb that can be mounted in a recessedlamp socket, the audio lamp can cut down plenty of electrical wiring ina household. As such, setting up a multi-speaker audio system at homecan be as simple as replacing the existing light bulbs with this audiolamps. Since the audio signal is transmitting wirelessly from a sourceto the audio lamp, there is no additional wiring needed. Also, thedistributed mode loudspeaker technology mentioned above generates soundfield in all direction uniformly, thus achieving the omnidirectionalcharacteristics that is hard to find in a conventional loudspeaker. Whenthe audio lamp is equipped with various sensors, its highly-integratedand multi-function natures can further enable new applications andinnovation that may not be easily realized otherwise.

In a residential and office building environment, the building isgenerally partitioned into multiple rooms and each room may have one ormore ceiling lamps and lighting elements. When audio lamps are used, theaudio lamps can be logically grouped into zones. FIG. 13 is oneconfiguration. In an embodiment, each zone has at least one audio lamp;of which one of them serves as master 90 and the others are slaves 91.The master 90 receives data wirelessly at its transceiver 81 from asource 92 through a transmitter 87. The source 92 can be a stereoamplifier, a television, a personal computer or a video game console, orit can be a handheld portable device, a portable MP3 player, a telephoneor a home entertainment system. It can also be AM, FM or satellite radiowaves transmitted from a radio station 94. The master then forwards thedata to the slaves 91 within the zone either using the transmitter 87 ora second transceiver 84. External devices, for example a woofer 88 asshown in the figure, can also receive the data through the secondtransceiver 84. A remote control 86, voice activation or light fixturecan manipulate the devices in the zone.

Communication between the master 90, the source 92, the slaves 91 andthe remote control 86 can be achieved using different wireless means. Asan example, the master 90 may communicate with the source 92 using radiofrequency (RF) transmission. This can be a dedicated RF link, or it canbe a wireless network conforming to the international standards such asthe Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) standards. Thecommunication between the master 90 and the slaves 91 may be throughinfrared. Likewise, the remote controller 86 may also use infrared tosend control signal to the master 90. It is obvious to those skilled inthe art that different choices of communication technologies and methodscan be used between all parties and the above-mentioned example is butone illustration of how this can be achieved. Other wirelesstechnologies not mentioned above, such as ultra-sound or optical, arealso applicable in this case.

In another alternative embodiment, the aforementioned data communicationcan also be carried through the power-line between the source 92, themaster 90 and the slaves 91. This is sometimes referred as‘power-casting’.

In one embodiment, all the data transmitted is encrypted so as toprotect the privacy of the owner and also prevent unauthorizedintrusion. Data is encrypted before transmission and decrypted at thereceiving ends. User authentication procedure is also provided at theaudio lamp so that only authorized personnel are allowed to configureit. This includes which zone this audio lamp belongs to as well as othersystem attributes or functions s.

Different configurations of audio lamps may be used within a zone. As anexample, some of them may be a lamp-plus-loudspeaker, while others mayact as a lamp-plus-microphone. Various sensors can also be incorporatedto the audio lamps as mentioned before. Hence within a zone, thecombination of multiple audio lamps as a whole can operates as (1) amulti-channel loudspeaker system, (2) an array of microphones that canpick up human conversation and audio commands when the person is roamingin the room, (3) a sensor array or (4) any combination of the above.

In one embodiment, the assignment of which zone an audio lamp belongs tois determined during installation. For example, the zone is determineddepending on the location of the device. Hence audio lamps in a kitchenare assigned to the same zone, whereas those in a bedroom are assignedto another zone. In another embodiment, the zone is determined by therelative distance to the masters. The masters are first installed andassigned a zone, and then the slaves will follow the zone of the closestmaster. In an alternative embodiment, zoning is achieved throughconfiguration management software and re-zoning is possible using thatsoftware. In yet another embodiment, zoning is determined dynamically.For example, when the audio lamps are equipped with sensors that candetect the location of a person, then the audio lamps can be re-zoneddynamically depending on the where-about of that person. As anapplication example, the system can route the music, or a telephoneconversation to the user when the user roams from one room to another ina building.

Referring to FIG. 14, another system is described below. The source 92sends the data to every audio lamp in the zone wirelessly, so thattransmitter 87 is eliminated from every device. That means all devicesare slaves and there are no master. The remote control 86 still controlsthe devices.

When installing the audio lamp, the wall switch that turns on the lampmay also be replaced by another switch dedicated for the audio lamp.FIG. 15 is a design of the replacement. In this design, there are twocolumns of up-down buttons. One column 102 is for controlling theluminance of the light, while the other 104 is to control theloudspeaker volume. The symbol (I) 100 is used to activate the intercomfunction (discussed later) while the (X) symbol 106 denotes the ‘mute’or privacy function. Similar design can also be incorporated to theremote control 86. The arrangement in FIG. 15 is but one design. Basedon the teaching of this invention, those skilled in the art can design adifferent button arrangement as well as adding more functionality to thewall switch or the remote control 86.

In one embodiment, the remote control 86 is attached to a wall mount.The remote control 86 acts like a wall switch in this case, able tocontrol each of the lamps in the zone with appropriate buttons. Inanother embodiment, the remote control 86 is portable and the user cancarry it around. In yet another embodiment, the wall mount act as acharger for the remote control 86, so that power can be recharged whenthe remote control 86 is not in use. In a further embodiment, the remotecontrol 86 or other control units have a display unit so that the usercan see various information or status of the audio lamp.

In the audio lamp setting, power is always supplied to the electronicassembly module. Hence the function of the replaced wall switch is notto cut off the electric power but to control the functionality of theaudio lamp. To turn on or dim the light, the power-regulator module 75in FIG. 9 is used. Hence the up-down button 102 first sends controlsignal to the microcontroller 72 of the electronic assembly inside theaudio lamp, and the microcontroller 72 will regulate the power output tothe light emitting element through the power-regulator module 75.

There are many potential applications of such system. For example, in ahousehold, the source 92 could be a personal computer or a portable MP3player with music stored in it. The source 92 can send the musicwirelessly to the audio lamps for playing. As the music is played outfrom the lamps installed at the ceiling, extra space is not needed for astereo set in the household.

In another application, the system is a multi-channel speaker system.Each audio lamp corresponds to one channel, and the source 92 transmitsdata for each channel to the devices. By changing the lamp covermaterial that emits audio sound, the audio lamp loudspeaker can beconfigured to respond to different audio frequency range. The system asa whole can also work with conventional loudspeaker systems. As shown inFIG. 11, a woofer 88 laid on the floor is incorporated as part of themulti-channel speaker system. In this example, the woofer 88 alsoreceive signal from the master through a wireless means. However, thoseskilled in the art can use different combinations to configure differentloudspeaker systems.

In another example, the system operates as a security alarm system. Atleast one device is dedicated as a microphone sensor. When a trespasserbreaks a window or walks into a monitored area, the device detects thesound generated and sends a trigger signal to the other devices or thesource 92. An alarm signal is pre-saved into the lamps inside the flashmemory, and the devices will play the alarm signal when they receive thetrigger signal. The light can then switch on, and the source 92 maycontact a security company automatically when the trigger signal isreceived. The same approach works if the audio lamp incorporates a smokedetector so that fire-alarm warning may be activated when high level ofsmoke concentration is detected. In the later case, the system as awhole may send out an audio instruction to all zones on the safe path toexit the building, and turn on the lights of only those audio lampsalong the safe exit path.

In yet another example, the system operates as a baby monitor. One ofthe devices that are in the baby's room is dedicated as a sound sensor.When the baby cries, the sound sensor detects the crying noise and sendsto the source 92. The source 92 can either send a soothing music pieceto the devices in that zone to play to the baby and/or notify theparents that are at another zone.

In one example, the source 92 possesses voice recognition and speechrecognition ability. When the user says a command, a microphone sendsthe signal to the source 92, afterwards the signal is analyzed to see ifit is a registered user's voice and if the speech is a valid command. Ifthe voice is registered and the command is valid, an appropriate signalis transmitted to the lamps. For example, when the user says ‘turn offthe light’, the lamps in that zone will turn off. Or when the user says‘contact person A’, the source 92 will dial the corresponding number andthe audio lamp will become a microphone.

In one application, the system operates as a hands-free telephone. Auser carries the remote control, which detects the distance from allaudio lamps from time to time. The audio lamp that is closest to theuser is automatically switched as a microphone, and whatever the userspeaks can be transmitted through the telephone line connected to thesystem. The other devices in the zone still functions as a speaker tooutput incoming voice. If the user moves to another location or anotherzone, a different device will be activated as the microphone.

In one example, the system is an intercom system. A device detects voicefrom a person at a location, for example outside the house, and anotherdevice in a different zone outputs the voice where someone in the housecan communicate with that person.

The system can also act as a simple intelligent lamp. A device detectsthe ambient light luminance and sends the information to the master.Depending on the luminance information, a number of lamps in the zonecan switch on until the luminance is above the threshold.

This system can also be a tracking system. One example is a deviceequipped with an infrared (IR) detector that senses the presence of ahuman or an animal from the IR wave they emit. When more devices areequipped with the IR detector, a triangulation algorithm may be used topin-point the location of the human or animal. The device can also sensethe voice the human makes while they are moving by being a microphone.Alternatively, powered IR tag can be used.

Separately, object tracking can also be accomplished when the audio lampis equipped with the ID tag reader mentioned previously. In oneembodiment, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology may beused. For example, active RFID tag (RFID tag with battery) can be usedto achieve a longer read distance. When the active RFID tag is aWi-Fi-based active RFID tag, the corresponding reader at the audio lampmay be a conventional Wi-Fi access point.

Another application of this invention is as a surveillance camera withaudio input. A video camera as well as a microphone is installed at theaudio lamp. The video camera has an infra-red emitter that enhances theimage so that the video camera can be used as a night vision camera.Video data and audio data are captured at the video camera and themicrophone respectively. The data are then forwarded to an external hostor other devices using existing electrical wires or wirelesscommunication.

The embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described.Although the description referred to particular embodiments, it will beclear to one skilled in the art that the present invention may bepracticed with variation of these specific details. Hence this inventionshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

For example, the shape of the light cover 22 and the translucent cover40 are described as circular and round in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7above, but it is clear that other shapes and sizes may be used accordingto the user's preference, such as oval, square, rectangular in shape.Similarly, the opaque lamp cover 23 is shown at the center in FIGS. 6and 7; and the translucent portion 40 is at the outer ring. This,however, can be reversed. In fact, the opaque and translucent portionsneed not be concentric rings. They can be made of different shapes andsizes to appeal to different consumers' tastes.

While distributed mode loudspeaker technology is described in previousparagraphs, loudspeakers based on other kinds of sound-emittingtechnologies can also be used. For example, one or moreelectromechanical loudspeaker can be used in lieu of the opaque lampcover 23 and the exciter 38 in FIGS. 9 and 10. As an example, the opaquelamp cover 23 is replaced by a grill of a speaker and there is a smallspeaker housing behind the cone to enclose it. In this example, theloudspeaker is mounted in the front of the audio lamp and the acousticwave propagates directly in front of the lamp. This gives betteracoustic effect compared to other configurations where the loudspeakeris mounted at the back of the lamp. In another embodiment, loudspeakerswith different frequency responses can be installed in different audiolamps. Some of them may serve as tweeters, others mid-range loudspeakersor woofers. When there are a few of such audio lamps installed in aroom, the user can then fine tune this multi-speaker system to generatea sound field that mimics a certain acoustic environment. This may be anoutdoor environment, a theater environment, or a concert hallenvironment.

In the embodiments described above, the audio lamp resembles ascrew-type light bulb. It is clear the audio lamp and the connector canresemble other types of light bulbs, for example a bayonet-type bulb.

In the embodiments described above, the lamp cover either functions as aspeaker or a microphone. It is within the knowledge of an ordinaryperson skilled in the art to add a separate microphone inside the lampso that a single lamp can function as both at the same time. Moreover,the DSP chip 73 inside the electronic assembly can be programmed tocancel out those microphone input signal that is due to the loudspeakeroutput.

Furthermore, the vibration dampening parts need not be springs 16 andinsulating gasket 24, as long as it serves the purpose of eliminatingthe vibration at the light socket as much as possible.

Although the source 92 mentioned above is mainly an audio source, itshould not be construed as the only source that can be used in thissystem. In fact, the source can be a gateway to the Internet. In thiscase, the baby-monitoring scenario can be extended to an applicationthat becomes a personalized assistance to senior citizens staying athome alone. Any abnormal signals detected by any sensor in any audiolamps installed in the house can be sent via the Internet to hisrelatives, or to the hospital or similar organizations that can provideassistance. In this sense, remote monitoring and control of a buildingis made possible.

1. An audio lamp apparatus comprising: a light-emitting element; asound-emitting element; a control circuit operatively connected to thelight-emitting element and the sound-emitting element; and a basesocket.
 2. The audio lamp apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thesound-emitting element further comprises: a translucent member coveringthe light-emitting element.
 3. The audio lamp apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising: a sensor selected from a group consistingof smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, IR detectors, motiondetectors and acoustic wave transducers.